Home Style: Decorating with urns

I adore urns in every size, shape and style because they are as lovely as they are versatile. Want to use urns to add spark and style to your home? Here are some ideas to get you started.

Mary Carol Garrity

When you look through your closet, searching for something to wear, chances are you have a few pieces that you pick over and again, like those jeans that are as comfy as jimmies, or the shirt that brings out the color of your eyes.

Similarly, when I decorate my home, I have a few favorite accents I use repeatedly to create great displays. At the top of the list? Urns. I adore urns in every size, shape and style because they are as lovely as they are versatile.

Want to use urns to add spark and style to your home? Here are some ideas to get you started.

- If you're looking for a tool that will help you create great tabletop displays in a snap, consider an urn. Just scout for one with an attractive shape, and fill it with something interesting. How about this: Dig through the produce drawer in your refrigerator, pull out some great-looking fruit or veggies, arrange them in a small urn, and place it at the center of your kitchen table, island, buffet or side table.

- If you forget to frequently check the produce's freshness, I'd recommend going with artificial fruit and veggies. Once I decorated with fresh pears and left them in the container until they turned into an icky, gooey mess. Now I opt for fakes so lifelike they fool my husband (who now knows to check every apple, pear and grape he sees sitting out in a bowl before he takes a bite).

- One of my favorite ways to decorate for each new season is to showcase the season's iconic images. All you need is a great urn, and you're halfway there. In the winter, you could fill a big, hefty urn with huge pine cones or kindling wood for your fireplace. In the spring, fill it with pots of tulips or daffodils. In summer, pile it with seashells. And in the fall, it would look lovely filled with colorful gourds.

- A mistake people frequently make when they design displays for coffee tables is using lots of small and low-profile pieces. For displays to be dramatic, they need to include a few tall, visually bulky items. An urn is an excellent choice. Leave the urn empty, or fill it with something interesting, like rolled-up papers that are aged and worn, or use it as a pedestal for a bird's nest.

- I really like to decorate with live topiaries in the spring. Even I can keep a healthy houseplant alive for a few months! To create a quick and easy decoration for spring, slip a fern or topiary into an urn, then tuck it someplace in your home that could use a bit of color. How about on your kitchen windowsill? Or on your kitchen table? In a bathroom? Or next to your bed?

- My mantra when entertaining is "presentation over preparation." You can make even the simplest of fare look amazing if you present it dramatically. When I entertain in the summer, I like to fill big garden urns with ice and use them to cool beverages. A small urn makes a great ice bucket for chilling wine. For a twist on this idea, line a garden urn with a bowl, then fill it with ice and use it to serve chilled appetizers, like shrimp.

This column has been adapted from Mary Carol Garrity's blog at www.nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol@nellhills.com.